Stairgates for funny shaped openings

[ahedgehogis]

DH thinks this is a waste of time, but I am relying on the collective wisdom of the great MN community.

Our stair opening is a strange size 84ish cm at the bottom but 94ish cm at the top.

We currently have a very badly fitted one of these at the top of our first set of stairs, but this has to go to MIL's as she refuses to buy one and DS has fallen down her stairs twice.

Ideally DH doesn't want a bar at the bottom as I have already lost my toenail twice by stubbing my toe and he is just lazy.

So does such a thing exist 84cm at the bottom 94cm at the top and No Bottom Bar

My dh ended up making his own to fill our v unorthodox space. We've taken them off now but have kept them for when we'll be renting our house out from later this year, just in case the tenants have wee kids.

Can you not buy one of the portable ones? They are adjustable at top and bottom. We used one as have odd stairs. Once up you can't open them without taking them off again which is a pain but they work as a barrier.

DP made one for our old house as it had a strange angle at the top of the stairs -any chance your DH is handy with a saw and hammer?

Right now you will end up laughing at me here but we had a similar problem with Lindam stairgates and our stairs which because the house is 300 odd years old are really odd sizes. We used milk bottle tops (from 4 pinters the plastic sort), a very long screw and made up the difference. When they are screwed very tight you can extend one side as much as you need.

Then for the triangular stairs (15 cm difference top and bottom) we brought one of those baby cages play pens (the hexagonal ones - Baby Dan I think) and used two angled bits (one had a gate in) in a V shape at the bottom and used cuphooks to secure them - proper hooks are available from Baby Dan for £5 apparently but we never got round to calling them and ordering them). We then placed a block of wood under one side to balance them as otherwise they were slightly off the floor which meant the DC could stick little feet under them while the other stomped on the gate, crushing them .

We then used cuphooks to lock the rest of the baby dan play pen round the wood burning stove, thus effectively baby proofing the major hazards of the house.

Alternatively we have made some for the garden deck using an old cot we got on freecycle. We literally used the frame, added bits at the side and fixed hinges on them with fiddly hook and eyelet fastenings so they are too fiddly for the kids to open.

Yup we had to make one too - we had wooden batons of a curious shape on either side. Aaaah i guess the victorians didn't allow for stairgates.

Or baby bouncers either FWIW - there wasn't a single doorway in the house ours fitted...

And we ended up buying a wrought iron gate to go between the kitchen and dining room to keep DCs out.

Try the rollerblind ones - I have one and its a bit fiddly but good.
www.amazon.co.uk/Kiddyguard-Roller-Blind-Stair-Safety/dp/B000J4E5GW

Port - we put our baby bouncer on the beams in the living room!

If nothing else works, you can get sheet wood gates from builders yards and saw them to fit.

Or an electric fence